Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters
The Shrieking Shack itself was not as bad as Lily had thought it would be. Inside was clean enough, there didn't seem to be any spiders or even much dust. There was a few chairs for seating. The walls were plain and the floors were crude, but Lily understood why Scorpius might like the old shack.
"Not too bad huh?" He led them through another room that had only a window and no furniture.
"I don't know. It still gives me the creeps," They made their way up the stairs to another set of rooms. The hallway was darker than downstairs, but they soon reached a room that had more light than all the others. Lily stepped over the threshold and inhaled sharply. The room was by far the cleanest of them all. It actually had carpet and the walls were painted a light beige color. Sunlight filtered in through the open drapes. There were photos of famous wizards and Quidditch teams all over the walls. The furniture was comfortable and clean looking. There were two chairs by a small reading table by the window. Lily walked straight over to them and took a seat. There must have been a spell on this room, because it felt much warmer than the entire house.
"Well," Scorpius took the seat next to her, "What do you think?"
"This is wonderful," She picked up a muggle book from the small table and ran her fingers over the cover. "Who's is this?" She asked without looking up as she opened the book. She did love the smell of books, something that often reminded her entire family of her aunt Hermione.
"That's mine. I enjoy muggle literature quite a bit actually." She had went for one of his favorite authors right away. It was a compilation of Edgar Allen Poe's work. The book contained some very dark poems and stories, but he also wrote some of the most beautiful poems on love, although most ended in tagedy.
"Which ones your favorite?" She flipped through the pages.
"Annabelle Lee, on page 87." She quickly flipped to the page and began reading. Her initial reaction was to cry. The poem was about a man that lost the woman he loved to jealous angels. Scorpius was in tune with her response to the poem and quickly explained. "It's a poem about the truest love. He loves her more deeply and his devotion is constantly evident. Even after he loses her he continues to love her. She is the most beautiful creature to him." They were silent for a moment before Lily closed the book. She carefully set it on the table.
"It is a beautiful poem." Was all she could think to say. In truth it was so much more, but for once she didn't have the words.
"Yes it is, you are welcome to borrow the book if you'd like." She smiled but shook her head.
"I don't know, it seems a little intense."
"It is," he agreed, "Perhaps another time." She nodded. "So," he continued, "You like it?" He gestured to the room around him.
"It's amazing. I never would have expected such a lovely place," she admitted.
"I fixed it up during my sixth year. I wanted a place to come to get away."
"I know how that is," she looked towards the window, "Hogwarts can be pretty crazy sometimes."
"Your welcome to come here anytime you need a break," he smiled at her gently.
"Thanks, I may just take you up on that offer," she wasn't sure if it would be the same going there without him though.
He smiled for a moment before his expression turned serious. "I have another offer for you," he said seriously.
"And what would that be?" Lily felt her heart skip a beat. Her feelings for him were bubbling up inside of her. She was still conflicted when it came to Teddy, but she was more confused than ever when it came to the metamorphagus. She wasn't sure what she felt anymore.
"I'd like to take you on a proper date," he paused struggling to find his next words. "I understand that you still have feelings for Teddy, but you deserve someone who appreciates you."
Lily felt her defenses come up. She had played with fire with Teddy and been burned. She couldn't let that happen again. "And I suppose you think you're that guy? You think you'll appreciate me more than Teddy did?"
"Yes, I do," he said simply.
"Somehow I find that hard to believe," she didn't bother to hide the sarcasm in her voice. "After all," she added, "you hardly know me."
"True," he remained patient. "But I know you're smart and sweet and devastatingly beautiful." She blushed at the last part. "But most of all I know you're the only girl who has taken my breath away. I smile just thinking about you. So maybe I don't know your favorite color or book or hardly anything for that matter. But those things, they're just superficial. Lily," he took her hands in his, "I want to get to know those things."
She felt her defenses crumble slightly, but still held a small reserve. "I don't know," she started.
"I'll prove it to you!" he said with some of his desperation leaking into his voice. He released one of her hands to lightly stroke her cheek. "Please, Lily" he whispered, "let me prove it to you."
She looked down at her hands still held in his. "Ok," she smiled, "I'll go out with you." He smiled more widely now. "So when are you taking me out?"
"Well I was thinking on your Winter break when you come home. I'm going to be spending the holidays with your family because my parents will be traveling."
It seemed like a long time to wait for a date in Lily's mind. He could easily find another girl to take out in that time and change his mind. She figured she'd have to wait and see. They stayed in the room for a while longer talking about their likes and dislikes. Lily was surprised to learn that although Scorpius was sorted into Slytherin he was easily as intelligent as any Ravenclaw she knew. They had been discussing Lily's choice to get a cat instead of an owl, when Lily remembered Theseus. "So, what made you name him Theseus?" When she saw Scorpius' face she quickly added "Not that I don't like it, its just different is all."
"It is quite and uncommon name I suppose," he mused. "I named him after a character from one of my favorite pieces of muggle literature. It's a play called A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare." When he saw Lily's confused look he continued explaining. "The play is about lovers that are put under a spell and fall in love with the wrong people. Hermia and Lysander love each other, but Demetrius is also in love with Hermia and he nearly causes everyone to fall under the spell that makes them fall in love with the wrong people." He paused. "It's much better than I've made it out to be."
"I think it sounds fascinating." She looked out the window to see the sun was beginning to set. "I should probably get back to the castle." She instantly regretted her words, but knew that she had a curfew.
"I'll walk you back."
They walked back in silence. Lily felt her stomach begin to knot at the thought of not seeing Scorpius until winter break. She really was beginning to develop some kind of feelings for him. When they were reaching the castle he surprised her by grabbing her hand. She turned to look at him, but he was looking ahead towards Hogwart's gates. The last few steps were painful knowing she would have to say goodbye. When they reached the gate he turned to her. Her cheeks were flush from the cold outside and her hair was falling in her face. He took a strand between his fingers feeling it briefly before tucking it behind her ears. He began leaning closer and hesitated. She was sure he was going to kiss her, but he only brushed his lips against her cheek before whispering "I'll be counting down the days." With that she walked into the castle and turned just in time to see him disapparate.
Cassie and Vera were waiting for her by the castle doors. They began to bombard her with questions as soon as she reached them.
"Was that Scorpius Malfoy?" Cassie shrieked.
"Is that why you weren't interested in Xander?" Vera shook Lily. "Why wouldn't you tell us?"
Lily silenced them. "There's nothing to tell. This is the second time we hung out."
"Still," Cassie whined "you should have said something! We're your best friends."
'Your right," Lily agreed, "I'll tell you all about it tonight after dinner. You think you'll be able to sneak out of your dorm?"
"it should be easy," Vera answered, "My best friend is head girl after all."
With that the girls all laughed together as they headed towards the great hall for dinner. After they had eaten they went straight to their dorm and Lily recounted the events of her Hogsmead trip. The conversation then turned to Vera and her boy troubles. She was in Hogsmead with Nate and things seemed to be going fine. She had decided to get a few sweets from Honeydukes while he waited outside. When she came out he was nowhere to be found. She hadn't seen him for the rest of the day until they had come back to the castle for dinner. She seemed quite upset over the incident, but brushed it off as if it was nothing. Cassie on the other hand seemed to have had a great time in Hogsmead. The girls questioned her on who she had gone with, but she hesitated to answer them. She finally admitted that she had gone with Hugo. It had not been intentional, but his date stood him up and she was having a terrible time with Gerald Thompson. So they decided to spend what was left of their day together and it turned out wonderful. Lily questioned if they were a couple but Cassie, just waved it off saying, "we'll see what happens." It was after two in the morning when Vera returned to her bed and Lily had fallen asleep.
AN: Sorry for the delay in updating. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks again to those of you who are reviewing this story!
